Hats Off to Ehlers: Rookie scores a hat trick, Jets win 5-2 against Arizona

Nikolaj Ehlers reaps his rewards photo courtesy of facebook.com/nhljets

The flying Dane, as endeared Jets fans have dubbed him, played a heck of a game, scoring two first period goals and earning the trick early into the second frame.

“I couldn’t have done it without the other guys of course, but it feels good,” Ehlers said. “[Instant chemistry] is tough to find [referring to his new linemates Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele], and it doesn’t happen much.”

“He’s been good all year. It’s not easy to make that step coming into the NHL, but he’s played well, great for him,” said Dustin Byfuglien.

Nikolaj Ehlers is now the fourth rookie in the 2015/16 season to score a hat trick, joining Max Domi, Sam Bennett.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=939806&site=jets

With the win, the Jets (22-24-30) ended a three-game losing streak. They are still in last place in the NHL’s Central Division, but on the bright side are heading into the All-Star break on a positive note.

“We get to go feeling good,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “We get some guys who have some confidence back in their games. You need to have that good feeling.”

Dustin Byfuglien had a pair of his own goals last night, including a dandy of a goal scored shorthanded on a breakaway during a Coyotes 5-on-3 powerplay. The big man will be carrying confidence with him as he is the lone Jet to compete in the All Star festivities for the Central Division squad.

“My family and I are looking forward to it, the whole thing. I think y daughter will enjoy it most, there’s a lot of kid’s things happening. It’s going to be fun,” said Byfuglien.

The Jets will enjoy the time off to regroup and rest over the break and will be facing off against the Dallas Stars on February 2 with hopes to play as solid of a game that they did last night. Winnipeg currently is eight points back of the Colorado Avalanche for the eight seed in the Western Conference.

Brad Richardson and Anthony Duclair scored Arizona’s two goals in the game. Arizona’s loss snaps their two game winning streak and they currently sit third in the Pacific Division.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD
06:55	WPG	PPG – Nikolaj Ehlers (10) ASST: Dustin Byfuglien (15), Blake Wheeler (33)	1 – 0 WPG
13:53	WPG	Nikolaj Ehlers (11) ASST: Blake Wheeler (34), Mark Scheifele (12)	2 – 0 WPG
2ND PERIOD
06:00	WPG	Dustin Byfuglien (13) ASST: Chris Thorburn (3)	3 – 0 WPG
14:31	WPG	Nikolaj Ehlers (12) ASST: Blake Wheeler (35)	4 – 0 WPG
15:40	ARI	Brad Richardson (5) ASST: Jordan Martinook (11)	4 – 1 WPG
17:43	WPG	SHG – Dustin Byfuglien (14) ASST: Tyler Myers (14)	5 – 1 WPG
3RD PERIOD
19:43	ARI	Anthony Duclair (13) ASST: Martin Hanzal (17)	5 – 2 WPG

Three Stars of the Game

1. Nikolaj Ehlers (3 goals)
2. Dustin Byfuglien (2 goals, 1 assist)
3. Blake Wheeler (3 assists)

 

Dog Days of January: Jets face desert dogs before All Star break

The bitter sting of the Jets’ last defeat at the hands of the Coyotes still lingers. In a game that the Jets dominated every statistic except for the final score, the Coyotes salvaged a 4-2 victory.

Losing games that you deserve to win is a demoralizing experience, but the Jets know that they can handle their opponents.

“The [past two games] have been scrappy games, tempers have been flaring, lots of guys going to the box to cool down,” said Paul Maurice. “It’ll definitely be a tight one, a biut of a grinder game.”

This game marks the Jets’ final game before the NHL All Star break in Nashville.

Having the weekend off could not come at a better time for this Jets team, as several players still remain out for the battered club.

The Jets’ goal leader, Bryan Little, did not participate in the morning skate. His status is questionable and has an air of mystery, as the forward did not finish practice Monday.

“We had to have him looked at [Tuesday] and run some tests,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “As the plan is right now, unless something changes he is going to take warmup. And if he feels good he is going to play.”

If Little is kept off of the roster for tonight, he will also join Matthieu Perreault who sits out because of a lower-body injury. Adam Lowry (upper body), Grant Clitsome (back), Ondrej Pavelec (knee) are also on injury reserve.

The team has felt the frustration that injuries toll on a team. Much like the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, the Jets are a team that should be far more competitive than their current record shows.

Thankfully, Mark Scheifele is returning from injury for this game. His energy, quick shot and leadership has been sorely missed.

“Every team goes through injuries,” Scheifele said. “It just happens to be our time now. We have to find a way to fill that void. If it means doing it by committee or whatever it is, we have to find that extra bit of energy we have and try to fill it.”

That process starts tonight, regardless of injuries, says Maurice.

“On any given night, you have 20 guys, you have enough to win the game,” he said. “That’s your mindset going in every single night.”

The coyotes will be starting rookie goalie sensation, Louis Domingue for his twelve start in thirteen games. Domingue was the MVP in the previous match, as his 37 saves kept his team in the game.

Connor Helleuyck will be sparing off against Domingue, playing in his 19th game in the past 21 opportunities.

 

Jets’ keys to the game

Play Domingue like a rookie goaltender

• Although Domingue is playing with a ton of confidence, he is still a rookie goaltender and will make mistakes if forced under pressure
• Last game he played well, but did gift the Jets with a goal as a result of a bad turnover in his own zone. The Jets need to force him to lay the puck, generate plenty of traffic in front of his crease to solve this goalie

Force penalties

• The Coyotes have a 76.7% penalty kill rate, good enough for 27th in the NHL. Perhaps facing a lower ranked penalty killing team will be enough for the Jets to improve on their deflated powerplay lines
• Either way, the Jets are ranked 28th in team penalty kill success, so the Jets cannot afford to be warming the penalty box bench in this game

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dealing with the Devil: New Jersey in town to face the Jets

The Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils faceoff in a rare matchup at MTS Centre tonight. The last matchup between these two clubs resulted in a 3-1 Jets victory on October 9th thanks to a timely goal scored by Blake Wheeler.

This match tells a tale of two cities. The Jets are looking to scrounge together some wins to avoid further falling below a .500 record. New Jersey is embracing their Cinderella season and have won three straight. There isn’t one hockey analyst who could have predicted how well the Devils have played this season. They are 24-19-5 on the season and hold the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference.

The remarkable thing about the New Jersey renaissance is that their team is achieving wide success from first line to fourth. Outside of household name Mike Cammalleri, the Devils have seen great numbers from Lee Stempniak, Kyle Palmieri and Adam Henrique. Each player has over 30 points on the season and combine for a total +/- of +33.

“They were quick and on the puck, they have an identity in how they play,” said Coach Paul Maurice. “We were really good against them last, we played a good game. They don’t waste a lot of offence, they don’t waste time playing undisciplined, they’re an aggressive team.”

 

 

With Winnipeg facing a steep eight point differential between them and Colorado for the eighth and final playoff spot, their playoff hopes remain alive but in great jeopardy.

“There’s so many teams that are so close [to a playoof spot] so we just have to continue to fight and climb the standings,” said defenceman Jacob Trouba. “No matter who is in the lineup, we all have to play our game to be successful.”

Clearly the team can relive the same magical second half push that the Ottawa Senators made last season. They have the pieces in place: sporting a young, exceptional goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck, they have talented forwards in Bryan Little, Andrew Ladd, Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler, and they have an excellent coach.

The greatest obstacle for the Jets is confidence and patience. It’s been a bumpy year, many players are out on injury (see list below), and the special teams units have been terrible. Yet, there is still hope for this young team and the season is definitely not over… yet.

Jets’ Injury List

• Adam Lowry- out for 2 weeks to a month (undisclosed)
• Ondrej Pavelec- out for a month (knee)
• Mark Scheifele-day-to-day (upper body injury)
• Drew Stafford- probable for tonight’s game (upper body)
• Alex Burmistrov- probable for tonight’s game (upper body)

Jets’ Keys to the Game

Support Hellebuyck

• Connor Hellebuyck has proven his worth and can be depended on. It’s time for the Jets’ defence to return the favour
• The Jets have improved their shots allowed stats (currently ranked 14th) but they still can improve in their own zone
• Byfuglien has 50 turnovers this season and Trouba has 36 turnovers on the year. The core defencemen on this team need to be better playing the puck, making short smart passes when transitioning out of their own end

Stay out of the box

• The Jets have been plagued by taking undisciplined momentum-changing penalties all year long.
• Byfuglien, Myers and Stuart each have had lapses in judgement that resulted in bad penalties at the worst possible time to take them. Each veteran defenceman needs to be on their best behaviour tonight

Force penalties, build PP confidence

• New Jersey is ranked 11th in penalty killing percentage, but they have given up 28 powerplay goals this season
• Rumour has it that Dustin Byfuglien has been practicing on the wing during powerplay drills, so clearly Paul Maurice is open to making some changes to spark the Jets who are 0-for-8 with the man advantage in their last two games

 

 

 

The Fork is Approaching: Jets’ future uncertain beyond this season

The Jets and the Canadian dollar have this in common: every small gain ends with a significant loss.

After stringing together a couple of wins against the Wild and Predators, the Jets surrendered the ground that they had covered in their standings climb to the Colorado Avalanche, losing 2-1. The Jets are now four points back of the Aves.

Winnipeg is not the only team struggling this season. If the Stanley Cup playoffs started today none of the Great white North’s teams would qualify!

It’s been a strange season. The Jets, Canadiens, Flames, Canucks and Senators have all fallen out of the playoff hunt from last year, when Canadian club dominance had every team except Toronto and Edmonton qualify for post-season action.

The clock is ticking on the Jets’ opportunity to make this year’s playoffs. With so much uncertainty on the contracts of veteran players Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd, and the future signing of Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba, Michael Hutchinson, Joel Armia, and Adam Lowry, amongst others, the Jets’ front office has its work cut out for it.

Decisions on the direction of this club need to be addressed quickly. At the helm of it all is General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who’s been awfully quiet so far this season. His steering of the team’s ship has led the Jets to a below five hundred record and so much contract uncertainty.

The fork in the road is upon us now. In one direction, Chevy could decide to move Byfuglien and/or Ladd and concede that this isn’t the Jets year and add to the Jets’ prospect pool. The other direction, which is always the fan favourite, is to make a trade to shake things up in order to make a second half season playoff push. Either path will have its hardships and risk public scrutiny, but the decision needs to be made now.

The following table shows the upcoming contractual obligations that Chevy will have to face this off-season (courtesy of Hockeybuzz.com).

Let’s do the math: five unrestricted free agents, seven restricted free agents. It is clear that with the internal cap that the Jets’ organization has in place, the team is in need of moving a contract or two in order to free up space. At its current state, this year’s team will not likely finish amongst the post-season calibre teams, especially with the plethora of injuries that the team has suffered.

Therefore, it is my opinion that the Jets plan for next season. There is no shame in this, as the team’s armour clearly has shown its holes this season. With several NHL ready players in this year’s draft, Winnipeg could greatly use the services of a Matthew Tkachuk, Patrick Lane or Jacob Chychrun.

If the Jets finish in the bottom four they will have a chance at nabbing Auston Matthews as well, a player many NHL scouts consider to be equal in talent to Jack Eichel.

One thing is for certain, Cheveldayoff needs to decide which path his team will head down. Clearly maintaining the status quo will achieve a mediocre record, missing out on a better quality pick, potentially losing out on the team’s unrestricted free agents and resulting in a failed year. Everyone loses.

If the direction is to pull the plug on the season then so be it, sometimes taking a step back can lead to two steps forward for next year. Colorado is living proof of that, and they’re the team that we’re chasing.

Which ever path the Jets are on, the fans will be behind their team. They’ve waited long enough and fought hard to get hockey back in the Peg, so as long as Chevy’s leadership communicates the team’s direction, the fans will support the team.

 

 

 

 

Avenue North: Jets vs Avelanche Preview

Monday night hockey in Winnipeg. For the Jets, nothing could be sweeter. The 12-7-1 home record has been one of the few bright spots for the hockey club this season.

Fresh off of a clutch win against Minnesota, the Jets seek to win their second game in a row facing the Colorado Avalanche. If the Jets can beat Colorado on Monday, they’ll only sit a single point back of Nashville for the second wild card playoff spot.

Facing this task, Winnipeg will need to leapfrog Colorado short-handed.

The Jets have been bitten by the injury bug this season. The Jets have Pavelec (knee) and Scheifele (lower body) out on injury reserve, and now Adam Lowry and Drew Stafford will be missing time with undisclosed lower body injuries.

“We’ll have a better idea by [Monday],” coach Paul Maurice told the Jets website when asked how long Lowry and Stafford would be out.” You get better information as how go on exactly what you’re dealing with. I was hopeful that they would feel a lot better the next day and they didn’t.”

To compensate the Jets recalled forwards Patrice Cormier and JC Lipon from Manitoba of the American Hockey League.

Each player has seen limited NHL action this season, and Coach Paul Maurice is hoping that they’ll bring back some speed and intensity that has been lacking with this year’s regular squad.

Mediocrity has plagued these two Central Division Teams. Each have around .500 records, have gone 5-4-1 in their last ten games, average less shots for than against and have under 50% faceoff win percentages. Yet, both teams have been fortunate enough that the NHL season is a forgiving place, both teams are only a few points shy of a playoff spot. There is still a glimmer of hope, and something to play for.

Jets’ Keys to the Game

Hellebuyck needs goal support

• As exciting as 1-0 games are, the Jets are in dire need of providing their young goaltender some more scoring
• It is no secret that the Jets’ powerplay has been awful, sporting a 15% success rate this season. Changing up the pairings until something clicks should be a priority for Coach Crawford

Cormier and Lipon need to fill their roles

• Losing Drew Stafford and Adam Lowry for any period of time will hurt the Jets. Both players are huge role players for Winnipeg and will be surely missed
• Lipon and Cormier have much to prove and have a rare opportunity to crack the roster, so they will need to play exceptional hockey or they’ll find themselves heading back to the AHL

Stop chirping the refs!

• Tyler Myers has been the largest culprit for allowing his emotions get the better of him. The NHL’s decision to fine him $5,000 for his crosscheck against San Jose was much deserved, as his antic cost the Jets that game
• Missed calls are a part of the game and victimize every team. The best way to get revenge isn’t with your fists but by putting the puck in the back of the net!

 

 

 

 

 

Shark Sighting: Jets face San Jose tonight

It’s hard not to think about the cult classic, “West Side Story” when thinking about this game’s matchup.

Just like the clashing between the Jets and Sharks gangs in the musical, the NHL’s Jets and Sharks will be doing battle tonight in California.

Hopefully for the Jets, tonight’s action will not be a tragedy.

The road has been a gruelling experience for this year’s Jets squad.

The NHL’s worst road team (the Jets are 6-13-1 on the road) faces off against the Sharks who have struggled at home, posting a 5-10 record to this point.

Tonight is a must win for the Jets who have struggled to string together wins this season. Currently Winnipeg sits seven points back of the Nashville Predators for the second wild card spot.

The Sharks are also battling for the second wild card spot and are five points shy.

 

Jets Coach Paul Maurice is looking for the Jets to rebound from their tough defeat at the hands of Arizona two nights ago. The game was thrown away by undisciplined penalties.

“It’s about focus really, not just about thee penalties, but in staying in the moment of the game,” said Paul Maurice. “The focus of where we’re at. If you’re 20 games above .500 and something happens that you don’t like, you can even it out. We’re not there right now so we can’t be taking those penalties.”

The powerplay has also remained to be a problem for Winnipeg, as they went 0-for-2 against Arizona.

“We’re slow, we’ll work on it and start to get excited about chances instead of goals, we need it to get going but it isn’t the defining reason for why we’re are where we are.”

“I think we’re more worried about working on what we’re doing here: focusing on our discipline our work ethic. The mental sides of things like execution. There’s been a lot of little things that have been costing us games,” said Drew Stafford.

“Our PK needs to turn things around, we need to stay out of the box and avoid the ticky-tack penalties that have been biting us. We can control that and that’s something we can focus on.”

“Tonight marks an opportunity to turn things around.”

Lineups

Jets’ Keys to the Game

1. Improve special teams
   – The Jets are 25th on the PK and 29th on the powerplay in the NHL. Not winning numbers at all
   – In order to turn things around the Jets will need to simplify their powerplay transition into the opposing team’s zone- dump and chase method is simple and avoids turnovers at the blueline. The jets can use their speed to control the puck and simple passes will open up plays
2. Frustrations are best cured by wins, not cheap shots
   – Myers and Ladd were the latest victims of frustration overload, resulting in two costly penalties. Every Jets player needs to focus on playing their games and their own individual assignments instead of retaliating emotionally. My coach’s philosophy stays the same: get even by putting the puck in the net
3. Be patient
   – Forcing plays, playing overly aggressive continues to provide odd-man chances against the Jets. Byfuglien, Trouba and Enstrom tend to pinch and force difficult passes far too often that have generated turnovers. The Jets’ defence needs to focus on playing smart, simplified plays

Doan and Desert Dogs Make History, Defeat Jets

New Years Eve will never be the same for the Arizona Coyotes franchise. The 4-2 victory against the Jets was far more than another win in the win column. The face of the franchise, Shane Doan became the franchise’s official scoring leader.

Shane Doan now holds the all time scoring title for the the previous Jets/Coyotes franchise. Doan notched two goals, the first a one-timer feed from Max Domi to tie the game midway through the first period, and the second was an empty netter to win the game 4-2.

Doan was drafted in the first round, seventh overall by the original Jets franchise in the ’95 NHL entry draft. He has remained with the club despite the move to Arizona and the financial security that constantly plagues the team.

“Obviously, the symbolism is pretty cool,” said Doan, who scored his 380th goal in his 1,422nd NHL game, all with the same franchise, for his record goal. “It was nice to get it quickly, get it at home and to get it in a win. And right now it’s going in, so maybe I should shoot a few more.”

The 39-year-old Arizona captain has definitely rejuvinated his scoring touch, as he has nine goals in his past 10 games, five in the past two and 13 goals scored for the season.

Although the win for the Coyotes was a huge victory for Arizona, on the other end of the ice, the Jets were frustrated with the game’s outcome.

The Jets out-shot their opponents 37-21, including a 29-11 shot advantage going into the third period.

“It was a difficult loss and it should be. We dominated most of the game,” he said. “You can’t touch them and you can’t dive and we can’t figure that out. We can’t take the penalties we take, you just can’t. And if you’re looking for any consistency or quality, you’re not coming to any of the games we play.”

Undisciplined penalties continue to be the Jets’ bane of existence. In a game that the Jets badly outplayed their opponents, two penalties cost the team the game.

The first was an unprecedented cross-checking penalty served by Captain Andrew Ladd behind the play. Ladd lost his temper on Coyotes star defenceman Ekman-Larsson and was called for it. The Coyotes capitalized on the gift of a powerplay, taking the lead 2-1.

The Jets managed to tie the game later in the period, but another undisciplined penalty late resulted in the game winner for Arizona. This one was the result of Tyler Myers punching a Coyotes player in the head at centre ice, drawing a roughing penalty in the process, which led to the game winner scored by Tikhonov.

“You can’t take the penalties that we took. You just can’t,” Head Coach Paul Maurice said. “You can (complain) about the calls all you want, but… We took the penalties, we lost the game, we were far better than they were for most of the night. That’s the National Hockey League”

“I shouldn’t have thrown a punch out there, it was a bad penalty to take I’m the first person who knows that. I didn’t think that I hit him that hard but I took the penalty for it, I shouldn’t have done it. I wish I had done something differently on that play,” said Tyler Myers.

The Jets spoiled an opportunity to get a rare road win to continue their winning streak. Now they need to rebound in their next game against San Jose tomorrow night. Winnipeg’s road record is now 6-13-1 on the year. The Jets need to finish the year with a 14-0-7 record on the road to match last year’s totals.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD
03:31	WPG	Adam Lowry (2) ASST: Alexander Burmistrov (6), Dustin Byfuglien (13)	1 – 0 WPG
09:28	ARI	Shane Doan (12) ASST: Max Domi (17), Nicklas Grossmann (4)	1 – 1 Tie
2ND PERIOD
NONE
3RD PERIOD
01:18	ARI	PPG – Viktor Tikhonov (2) ASST: Michael Stone (13), Connor Murphy (5)	2 – 1 ARI
07:45	WPG	Adam Lowry (3) ASST: NONE	2 – 2 Tie
12:35	ARI	PPG – Oliver Ekman-Larsson (10) ASST: Mikkel Boedker (18), Antoine Vermette (10)	3 – 2 ARI
19:44	ARI	EN – Shane Doan (13) ASST: Jordan Martinook (7), Brad Richardson (11)	4 – 2 ARI

Game Highlights

Ladd was bad

• Andrew Ladd took a bad penalty at the end of the second period leading to the Coyotes taking a 2-1 lead early in the third period. he Play was going the other way and he got caught for his poor decision to crosscheck Ekman-Larsson
• Ladd only fired one shot on net in his 18 minutes of play, and didn’t generate much during his play. For a man who is looking for a big fat paycheck at the end of the year, Ladd’s 22 points on the year aren;t helping his chances of earning it

Jets were the better team

• Clearly the Jets were the better team tonight, they generated better scoring chances, had more time of possession, and fired more shots on net
• Arizona’s goaltender played really well, but it was the lack of productivity on the Jets’ special teams units that cost Winnipeg the game

Special Teams cost the Jets

• The Jets’ powerplay units looked really ineffective tonight, failing to generate any good looks on the Coyotes in their two opportunities
• The penalty kill was not much better, failing to prevent the two key goals that cost Winnipeg the game
• Taking penalties can be the best case scenario of a bad situation: we see this in events like preventing breakaways, standing up for a fallen temmate. The penalties tonight were preventable and often inexcusable: lazy tripping calls, a clear embellishment by Ehlers, roughing and crosschecking behind the play. These kind of lapses in judgement have cost the Jets all season long

 

Three Stars

1. Shane Doan (2 goals)
2. Louis Domingue (37 saves, 2 goals allowed)
3. Adam Lowry (2 goals)

 

 

Penguins get Byuck’d, Jets win 1-0!

It seems like ages since the Winnipeg Jets shut out an opponent at home. Make that four years.

Connor Hellebuyck earned his first career shutout, stopping all 30 Pittsburgh shots, with two huge saves from Tyler Myers in the final minutes to keep the feat intact.

The Jets have not shutout a team 1-0 at home since their inaugral season at the MTS Centre. Doing it against the Pittsburgh Penguins team with star forward Mark Scheifele on injury reserve was a huge momentum boost for the struggling Jets squad.

“[Hellebuyck] was outstanding,” said Jets center Bryan Little, whose penalty shot provided the game’s only goal. “Every time he needed to make a big save, he made one for us and kept us in the game. He did everything he needed to do for us to win.”

The Jets were in serious need of a win to start off the second half of the season, as they have played far below their potential during November and December hockey.

The lone Jets goal came on the stick of goal-scoring leader Brian Little, who went glove-high on Pens’ goaltender Jeff Zatkoff scoring a clutch penalty shot goal.

This game will forever be in the hockey stats lore, as according to the Elias Bureau, they are only the third team to win a 1-0 game via a penalty-shot game winning goal.

Little’s goal was the first penalty-shot goal for the Winnipeg/Atlanta Thrashers franchise since Oct. 8, 2010.

Little drew the rare penalty-shot attempt by forcing Pens’ defenceman Ben lovejoy to hook him to avoid a breakaway opportunity against Zatkoff.

“I didn’t know a lot about this goalie, but I knew I was going to shoot glove-side pretty much before I went,” said Little, who has a four game scoring streak going.

Tyler Myers continues to prove his worth each and every night, and this game was no exception. Myers led the Jets with over 23 minutes in icetime, and sacrificed his body twice in the final moments to deny Evgeni Malkin on two back-to-back shots on a wide open cage.

“I think I owe him something after that one,” said Hellebuyck in the post game media scrum.

Connor Hellebuyck should be taking defenceman Tyler Myers out for dinner, and a movie, how about the new Star Wars? After all, it was number 57’s face that helped preserve Hellebuyck’s first NHL shutout.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD
14:46	WPG	PS – Bryan Little (14) ASST: NONE	1 – 0 WPG
2ND PERIOD
NONE
3RD PERIOD
NONE

Game Highlights

Crosby-Kessel-Hornqvist get donuts

• Crosby, Kessel and Hornqvist each had four shots on Connor but were each denied
• Amazing work by the Jets shutting down the talented Pens squad, limiting their team to only 30 shots in this game

Myers stands tall

• Myers deserves a saves percentage and G.A.A. stat after his impressive face and shoulder save in the late periods
• Despite not getting onto the scoresheet tonight is the best game that I have seen Myers play this year. After the Byf-Ladd contract talks come to a decision, Myers is my candidate for captaincy if Ladd walks as a free agent

Hellebuyck continues to dazzle

• Hellebuyck is the first Jets’ goaltender to record a shutout on the year, and it was an important victory for the Jets, who stopped a 2 game losing streak.
• Connor now has a 6-3 record with a 2.13 G.A.A. and .927sv%

 

Three Stars

1. Connor Hellebuyck
2. Brian Little
3. Tyler Myers

Top Scheif: Schiefele, Jets edge Caps 2-1 in overtime

Mark Scheifele was the hero of the hour.

Mark Scheifele scored with 19.9 seconds remaining in overtime to help the Winnipeg Jets to a 2-1 win against the Washington Capitals in front of their home crowd at MTS Centre on Saturday.

Scheifele broke loose from his defensive coverage skating into the left circle and snapping a perfectly placed shot past Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby. Scheifele’s 10th goal of the season ended Washington’s six-game winning streak.

“We stuck with them through a full 60 minutes, and I think that shows [well] for our team, and hopefully we can take this into Sunday [against the Chicago Blackhawks],” Scheifele said. “For the most part, we stuck with it. We didn’t get rattled, and it showed. Getting the win is huge.”

Andrew Ladd also had a solid night on the ice, scoring the Jets’ first goal on the powerplay, continuing his three game points streak.

Backstrom tied the game up, with the lone second period goal, forcing the game to overtime.

Connor Hellebuyck once again proved himself, coming up with 37 saves in his third NHL game, including six in an overtime. The 22-year-old goaltender has started 3-0-0 with a 0.97 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage.

“Tonight was the first game [Hellebuyck] saw some big shooters,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “He consistently looks big in the net. He has had a good progression here to this game. We like what we’ve seen with Connor. We’re going to do everything we can to keep him in that groove.”

The Jets are off to a great December, moving on from the woeful November schedule. The Jets have won three out of their past four games. Their confidence has to be flying high after limiting the mighty Washington team to a single goal.

“I think we’re close to a really good understanding of how we want to play and how it’s supposed to look,” Maurice said. “As soon as we get comfortable that there is going to be angst through 82 games and come out with a really clear focus of the game we want to play, we’ll be in good shape, and I think we’re closer to that now.”

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD
19:53	WPG	PPG – Andrew Ladd (8) ASST: Bryan Little (12), Dustin Byfuglien (10)	1 – 0 WPG
2ND PERIOD
14:25	WSH	PPG – Nicklas Backstrom (9) ASST: John Carlson (15), Andre Burakovsky (5)	1 – 1 Tie
3RD PERIOD
NONE
OT PERIOD
04:40	WPG	Mark Scheifele (10) ASST: Jacob Trouba (5), Blake Wheeler (18)	2 – 1 WPG

Game Highlights

Hellebuyck continues to amaze

• Connor Hellebyuck is making it look easy in net, swatting pucks away like a fly-swatter
• When/if Pavelec returns from injury, Connor’s solid play will make Coach Maurice’s decision difficult between chosing who stays at the big league level
• In his three starts, Hellebuyck has gone 3-0-0 with a 0.97 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage

Leading Ladd

• Andrew Ladd, like his teanmmates, struggled in November. He now has a three point streak going, scoring three important goals in the Jets’ last three games
• In a contract year, Ladd is definitely proving that he still has plenty of heart for his team

Powerplay Clicking

• The Jets went 1-for-5 on the powerplay facing a Capitals team that ranks 6th in penalty killing
• Winnipeg

1. Connor Hellebuyck (37 saves, 1GA)

2. Mark Scheifele (GWG)

3. Braden Holtby (34 saves, 2GA)

Rookie Supremacy: Jets’ Helleyuck faces Leafs’ Sparks in net tonight

Connor Hellebyuck will be called upon for a second time to help the Jets’ rebound from losing efforts.

The 22-year old Hellebyuck stood tall stopping fourteen of fifteen shots against, earning his first career NHL win against the Minnesota Wild last Sunday.

Hellebyuck will be facing off against the Leafs’ own 22-year old rookie goaltender, who also hails from south of the Canadian border.

The Maple Leafs will start Garret Sparks, who shut out the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in his NHL debut Monday.

Both the Jets and the Leafs teams will be facing relatively unknown goaltenders, as each has only one career NHL game under their belt.

Sparks was a seventh round pick in the 2011 draft, Hellebyuck was a fifth round draft pick the following year in 2012. Both the Leafs and Jets are hoping that their late picks will turn into solid NHL goaltenders.

“[Hellebuyck] has played a game in the NHL,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “He deserved that game based on [having] a very good training camp, an excellent [2014-15] season, he went down and played very well [with the Moose in Manitoba]. He’s big, calm. The puck went where I think he wants it to go off shots. He has nice rebound control.”

Leafs coach Babcock, is looking for another good start out of the young Sparks.

“I think winning makes [everybody] feel better,” Babcock said. “Any time that you get to play your first [NHL] game, and it goes well, I think it’s a positive for the organization, for yourself, for your family, for the work that you put in.

“We all know that one game doesn’t make your career, but you’ve got to start with one and get going from there. So he gets another opportunity. Good for him.”

Winnipeg is welcoming the Leafs with open arms, hoping to achieve the same success they had when they beat the lowly Leafs 4-2 on November 4. Since that time the Jets have been suffering from the losing bug (apparently the Leafs’ losing ways were contagious), as the Jets have gone 3-8-1 since playing Toronto.

Jets’ keys to the game

We need a Little, Wheeler

• Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler lead the Jets with 25 (for Wheeler) and 20 points (for Little) so far in this year’s campaign
• Little has een less consistent, only earning two points in five games, so the Jets need more from him in order to snap this streak
• Wheeler has been the engine keeping the Jets going. He is off to his best career start, so the Jets will be continuing to ride his hot hands

Chiarot and Byfuglien chemistry

• Defenseman Ben Chiarot will return to the lineup after seven games as a healthy scratch. He will replace Adam Pardy on a pairing with Dustin Byfuglien
• Chiarot has struggled when being called up to the big club, only scoring 10 points in 54 career games with a 0+/-
• Byfuglien and Chiarot will be on the top pairing tonight so it is imperative that the pair communicate effectively and play well together

Keep the powerplay going

• The Jets’ powerplay has been productive in the past few games, scoring a goal versus Minnesota and Colorado. The Jets will need to continue their productivity to increase their current 15% production rate
• Luckily for Winnipeg, Toronto also has penalty taking problems, so the Jets will need to capitalize on their chances